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Topic Closedweight distribution...again! - Event Date: 15 Jan 2019 - 15 Feb 2019
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Motor7 View Drop Down
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Posts: 196 		Direct Link To This Post Calendar Event: weight distribution...again!
    Posted: 18 Jan 2019 at 6:00am
Oh and my guess is that Zen filled all the tanks to increase the tongue weight?. However at least on my 176T the black tank is behind the axle, so I dont't think filling that one would help.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jan 2019 at 7:15am
Adding any weight behind the trailer axle will reduce the tongue weight. That can be a good or bad thing depending on where you started, but too little tongue weight can be much more dangerous than too much. You'll most likely notice right away if your TV front axle gets too light, but trailer sway from too little tongue weight can come out of nowhere and bite you.  There has been at least one case of catastrophic sway in an rPod on the return leg of a trip with too much water weight in the rear which had been stable outbound. 

Moral of the story is to know your load and tongue weight at both extreme conditions. You can do that mathematically once you'd got actual trailer and tongue weights under a known set of load conditions. Its called a weight and balance calc. Any pilots out there will know what I'm talking about. 

Personally, I wouldn't want to drop below 10-11% on the tongue even with sway control. I want to start with a rig that is stable in its own right and then use wdh and sway control to improve ride and handling, not to depend on it. Just my $0.02. 
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6418 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jan 2019 at 8:34am
Originally posted by Motor7

Interesting topic since I have been researching WDH and Anti-Away. Even though my TV is rated to 8K I have been out west quite a bit and we routinely travel from TN to MB, so I know all about nasty persistent crosswinds. They are a pain on a bike and after three days insanity starts seeping in, but not really dangerous. I know I do not want to tow any tall type trailer without having sway control under those conditions. 

So, have been rearing and researching and "think" I want the Equal-i-zer 600lb model. Being able to back up and having the sway control built in were my priorities. I found a 1200lb one locally for $250 which is a decent price but was worried about overkill. You guys are correct(I emailed EQ), it would make for a harsh-er ride and I do not want that so I passed on the 1200. FYI, the bars and hub have to be changed out on the Equal-i-zer which makes it cost prohibitive. 

Anyway, for local trips no WDH is needed, so I have a few months to track down a 600lb. 

I used to have an Equal-i-zer 600/6000 lb hitch. My daughter has it now. I am using a Hensley Cub which is way overkill for the RPod. If I were to do things over again, I would certainly look at the Andersen No-Sway.

There is another alternative you have not mentioned. That is the Hayes Sway Master electronic sway control  ( http://www.hayesbc.com/products-categories/ ). An alternative is Tuson Sway Control ( https://tusonrvbrakes.com/collections/tuson-sway-control ). Since your vehicle does not necessarily need the WD given the capacity of it being over twice the weight of the RPod, perhaps this would be simpler and would be better for your situation. It is much more expensive than a simple sway bar, but it has the advantages of being able to act when needed automatically and it does not need to be disconnected for backing.

I purchased and installed the Hayes Sway Master before I got the Hensley Cub. I might not need it now, but since I have it, it is one more layer of assistance to help prevent an accident like the one i had where I hit ice with a strong cross wind.
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Posts: 11 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jan 2019 at 7:41pm
Thanks everyone for your insights.  Looks like a 600/6000 system will be the better set-up...I plan to keep thinks real light on long road trips.
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Posts: 40 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jan 2019 at 12:04pm
I have a FastWay e2 system (same parent company as the Equalizer, but only 2 point sway control).  Still dialing mine in, looks like my 171 falls just into the lower end of the 600/6000.  Definitely don't need more, the 450/4000 might have been adequate.
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Posts: 2702 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jan 2019 at 4:09pm
Originally posted by michaeln

I have a FastWay e2 system (same parent company as the Equalizer, but only 2 point sway control).  Still dialing mine in, looks like my 171 falls just into the lower end of the 600/6000.  Definitely don't need more, the 450/4000 might have been adequate.
With the E2, you should be able to swap to the bars. Pretty sure the head is the same for those two.
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Motor7 View Drop Down
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Posts: 196 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jan 2019 at 7:27am
Originally posted by StephenH

 

Hayes Sway Master electronic sway control  ( http://www.hayesbc.com/products-categories/ ). An alternative is Tuson Sway Control ( https://tusonrvbrakes.com/collections/tuson-sway-control ). 

I purchased and installed the Hayes Sway Master before I got the Hensley Cub. I might not need it now, but since I have it, it is one more layer of assistance to help prevent an accident like the one i had where I hit ice with a strong cross wind.
[/QUOTE]

I read your post on the Hayes review. I had never heard of electronic sway control before and the idea is fascinating. I have not dug deep into how it actually works yet and I am assuming that it only applies the brakes when the trailer is directly behind the TV and not at the apex of the swing on each side? While the Tuscon must be applying one brake(inboard side) at the apex of the swing? 

Anyway, the Hayes can be had for $250-ish and that is generally the price of a good used EQ hitch, so I think I will order one before taking off on our 'big' trip where we will be out three weeks and cover 5-6 thousand miles. Thanks for the info!
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Posts: 6418 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jan 2019 at 8:27am
My understanding is that both of them work on the principle of a gyroscope. The Hayes information says it has a GPS (to detect vehicle speed). The Hayes won't activate at low speeds such as when you are making sharp turns at an intersection or backing into a campsite. Above 45 MPH, it is fully active and if the trailer swings out of its set parameters, it will activate the brakes to bring it back into line. The Tuson is a little more sophisticated in that it can apply the brakes individually. There is a third one that Lippert owns and was put on some Jayco trailers. However, I have not seen any information about if it is available for retrofitting.
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jan 2019 at 9:31am
Out of curiosity, what does the Hayes system default to when it isn't receiving a GPS signal (for example in a tunnel, between tall buildings, or in a deep ravine)? 
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jan 2019 at 10:05am
Originally posted by offgrid

Out of curiosity, what does the Hayes system default to when it isn't receiving a GPS signal (for example in a tunnel, between tall buildings, or in a deep ravine)? 




I have heard of the system, have not researched it, but I understood it worked off an accelerometer, and not GPS.
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